July 18, 2013 — A plan to open some long-closed fishing areas off the Northeast coast seems like a useless move that was intended as a gesture rather than a viable means to help New England fishermen to make a living.
The proposal, unveiled last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would allow certain fishermen back into fishing grounds where they’ve long been banned, but it is only making it to light now that environmentalists have been somewhat appeased. Two environmental groups – the Conservation Law Foundation and Earthjustice – sued in May, arguing that regulators were trying to skip a legally required analysis of the effects of the proposed change under the NOAA proposal.
Since that time, NOAA has worked to compromise with the groups, but in doing so has put such measures in place that most fishermen will not be able to access the new areas, and if they are able, they may not want to incur the expense.
That expense will be the cost to hire an independent, on-board catch observer on every trip to monitor and prevent fishing gear entanglements with whales and porpoises and other protected marine mammals. Observers cost roughly $500 to $800 per day, according to an Associated Press article published earlier this week.